The Great Journey 2: The Long Way Home
by Kiwi Lord
Summary: Austin and Azula made it back to the real world, but is it what they wanted? How will they fare against the mighty US government agencies? Will they be able to survive and make it out? Rated for language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well, I am back**_**. **_**I know it's been a while and for that I apologize. I have had a serious case of writer's block and didn't really know how to write a sequel based on where I left off the first story. I mean, I know that I left it ambiguous and easily able to create a sequel, it's just that I haven't been able to think of how to write the sequel. Anyways, I have finally got around to writing this story, so I hope you will all sit back and enjoy what I have to write. Also, I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender nor do I make any money off of this; I am just a humble writer looking to spend his free-time by writing stories.**** Enjoy!**

_Recap_

_I arrived in what looked like my hometown, yet it seemed as if nothing was going on and it was a dreary day. That's odd. I wonder why it's so melancholy here. More importantly, I wonder how I ended up here._

_I started to walk around when I heard a somewhat loud, monotone voice coming off in the distance from where I figured was the cemetery. "… We are gathered here today," oh boy, it's a funeral, "in remembrance of Austin Bourne," HO-LY SHIT, IT'S MY FUNERAL!_

_I sprinted as fast as I could to where I heard the voices coming from, when I abruptly stopped as I saw my mother and younger brother and sister. They were all dressed in black and crying heavily as they looked upon a casket being lowered down into the ground. I slowly approached them and hesitantly called out to them. _

"_M-… mom, Alex.. Chloe… is that you?" As I drew closer my mother's head looked up at me. At first she had a look of sadness and horror, but after finally realizing what she saw, it was replaced by a look of excitement and relief._

"_Aus- Austin? Austin!" She screamed, and she along with Alex and Chloe came running at me. They tackled me to the ground in a ferocious bear hug, one of which that I returned with just as much fierceness._

"_Don't you ever scare me like that again, you hear! I have been worried sick about you! Did you know we believed that you had really died!" She was both angry and happy at the same time; crying tears of joy and sadness, hitting me as well as hugging me._

"_I know mom, and I'm really sorry for making you go through all of that." I said as I embraced all three of them in a group hug yet again._

"_It's alright, you're home and safe now. Just tell me, where the hell were you!" She said as she smacked my right shoulder._

"_Actually it's quite an interesting story and I don't think you'll believe it yourself." I was about to tell them about my great journey when something else caught my attention._

_A familiar voice called out for me, "Austin is that you?"_

_As I turned around I could not believe what I saw._

"_Azula?"_

* * *

"Azula, what on earth are you doing here?!" I screamed as I rushed over to where she was standing. I quickly grabbed hold of her arms and began to shake her as to try to break her out of the stupor that she seemed to be in.

"Austin… wh-… where am I?" Azula asked with confusion clearly evident as she took a look around and took in the unfamiliar place.

"Azula," I sighed, "this is my home planet, in fact this is the very town that I grew up in, though I have no idea how we ended up here." I said as I motioned around my hand.

"Austin, who is that girl you are talking to?" My mother asked. "And where on earth did she come from?"

"Look.. like I said.. it's complicated okay!" Everything going on was frustrating me and I had no idea on where to begin. "Alright, let's go inside the church where it's peaceful and quiet and I will explain everything. Okay?"

"Alright, fine!" She stated. "But when we get inside, you are going to tell me every last detail; don't you dare think about leaving anything out or so help me God!"

"Don't worry, I promise I will tell you everything." I scooped up my little sister Chloe and started to make my way inside when a voice called out.

"What in the hell is going on here?!"

"Joe, look, everything is under control. Once Austin explains everything to me I will clarify some stuff for you. But until that time comes, you will just have to wait here patiently." My mother talked in her usual no-nonsense tone that left no room for debate. With a 'humph,' this man that went by the name of Joe sat back down.

I glanced at Azula, and with a nod of my head, I gave her a look that said 'follow me.' As we all started heading inside, I whispered in my mom's ear, "so who is this Joe guy?"

She gave me a soft yet compassionate glance, and after a short pause whispered back, "he is the man that I started dating a few months back."

I couldn't believe the audacity that my mother possessed. Who was she to tell me that she had been dating a man for a few months, and just now decides to tell me about it! I hissed back in her ear, "when I am done, you're going to have some explaining to do." She just glanced up at me, nodded, and then led my younger brother Alex into the church.

Everyone took their seats, including Azula, who looked very nervous and scared for someone who usually was so calm in the face of danger, and with a heavy sigh, I began to tell my entire journey from start to finish. I began with the surprise attack in Iraq and being launched into a strange and desolate world, and finished with a successful full-scale invasion that allowed me to retrieve this wondrous device that could allow me to be transported between worlds. As I finished I glanced around to seize up the room. The emotions ranged heavily between everyone there: Alex was amazed and intrigued by my story, Chloe was awestruck and seemed to be focused on the love story more than anything else, which would explain why she was staring intently at Azula, Mother was dumfounded and seemed to be in a state of paralysis, and finally, Azula looked to be somewhat scared as she continued to sort-out what was going on.

There was an awkward silence but thankfully Mother finally broke it. "So you mean to tell me that you were transporting a highly secretive military device and not only did it somehow get activated, but that you were transported to a- a- another world?" She asked with astonishment.

"Uh yea, that would be correct." I said sheepishly.

"I can't believe it?!" She yelled, surprising everyone in the room, myself included. "I know it-?" I started to say when I was interrupted yet again.

"Who in the hell do they think they are?! I mean where do they get off! Wheeling around a bunch of unknowing soldiers like they are pawns in their game!" She started yelling really loud now and I was starting to get nervous when I did a double check.

"Wait so that's what you got out of all of that?" I asked. "Not the fact that I was mystically transported to another realm."

"Well there is that too." She said. "Let's come back to that in a minute. Would you care to explain who this lovely lady is." She then turned to Azula, "excuse me dear, what is your name again?"

"Azula." Azula said matter-of-factly.

"What an interesting, err, lovely name you have." What she said next shocked me deeply. "So when are you going back to your world?"

Azula looked like she was about to attack her when I quickly stepped in. "Mother," I said sternly, "don't you think that should be up to her?"

"Well I don't know about that one," she stated calmly, "she certainly doesn't belong in our world, I mean look at her. She wouldn't fit in for one day. She certainly won't know how to behave if what you said about her being a princess is true, and she is far too young to live here by herself.

I found her comments both ignorant and offensive. "You don't know anything about her, mom. You've barely heard anything about her and you're already passing judgment on her. That is not the same person that I grew to know and love."

She was taken aback but quickly regained her composure. "You bite your tongue young man, you have no idea what kind of situation you're getting into. The only reason I let you join the Marines because I thought it would straighten you out. You can barely take care of yourself, what makes you think you can take care of another person, let alone in a relationship?"

"Mom that's not fair and you know it. Besides, Azula can take care of herself as she has proven time and time again. Why don't you just ask her on her opinion of the matter." _Great, it's just like 'ole times at home._

"Fine!" Mother pronounced. "Not that it matters anyways, because as soon as possible, you are being shipped on a one way trip back to wherever you're from."

"You can't tell me what to do, you're not the boss of me!" Azula returned back with just as much strength. "Besides," she said as she calmed down, "I love him, I will never leave his side." I was flabbergasted by what she said. Never would I have thought she would declare something like that in front of other people, it just seemed… like… she was a different person with a new personality.

However, it seemed that Mother was unaffected by what she said and continued to press down on Azula. "Oh you're in love in love with him, how cute." She said in a mock happy tone. "Tell me one thing, Azula, how old are you?" _Oh boy, this is where things get ugly. _

"I am fourteen." She stated firmly.* "What does that matter to you?" She asked in the same tone of voice.

"Mom it's not-"

"YOU'RE FOURTEEN!" Mother erupted as she turned to face me. "Austin, were you aware of this?!"

"Yes I was, but it doesn't matter because I love-"

"It doesn't matter?! IT DOESN'T MATTER?! Austin, you are well aware that it is against the law and you will be sent to prison for having sexual relations with her!"

"Well then, he should have gone to prison a long time ago." Azula smirked as she winked at her.

I had to do everything in my strength hold back Mother from attacking Azula. "I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL KILL HER!" She screamed as she attempted to grab Azula.

"Look mom, let's just take an easy and try to peacefully sort out a solution." As soon as I said that, I regretted my choice of words. Both Mother and Azula began to yell at me at the same time.

"Austin, please don't make me leave."

"That skank is on the first trip home."

"Austin!

Austin!

Austin!

Austin!"

"ENOUGH!" I finally screamed, effectively shutting everybody else up in the process. "Azula," I said as I turned to her, "I'm not going to force you to go back to your home." As I said that a small smile crept up on her face. "However, I am still working for the military and that means I will be forced to be sent halfway around the world and you won't be able to come with me." And when I said that the smile quickly disappeared into a frown and a look of despair. "Moreover, the government is going to look in on this and when they do begin their investigation, they are going to find, detain, and interrogate you to the point where I may never see you again." The look of despair on her face then multiplied by ten. "But, but," I said as I lifted her chin to look me in eyes, "I will do everything in my power to not let them take you away from me." She had a small smile that turned into a big one after I placed a chaste yet passionate kiss on her lips.

I turned to face Mother and embraced her in a loving hug. "I love you, you know I do, but you can't keep treating me like a little kid anymore. I am a grown man, and part of being a grown man is making difficult decisions and living with the consequences ."

Her face turned into a soft and compassionate one as she slowly backed up out of the hug. "You're right, you're absolutely right and I'm sorry. It's just that I'm looking out for you and I want what is best for you."

"I know you are and I appreciate it. I am also glad that you stand by me with-"

"She's still not allowed to live in our house." She stated firmly.

"-My decision. Wait what did you just say?" I asked in disbelief.

"You heard me. I respect that you want to make your own decisions, that doesn't me that I condone them. I do not like what you are trying to do and you are not allowed in my house if she is with you." She continued to hold her ground as she locked eyes with me.

"So that's how it's going to be. I thought that you would stand by your firstborn son no matter what. If you don't want to support me in my decision then fine, I'll go somewhere else. Come on Azula," I said as I took her hand, "follow me."

"Where are we going?" She asked as we made our way out of the church.

"To my friend's house." I stated coldly.

* * *

*Although Azula's age is never stated in the series itself, the _Avatar_ website gives her age as fourteen.

**A/N: Well that is the first chapter in the long-awaited, well sorta not really, sequel. I hoped you liked it even though it was fairly short. If you are wondering why Austin's mom doesn't have a name, but rather goes by Mother, then here is your answer: I chose to use the name Mother as to undermine the character. By using only Mother, it stresses the relatively little importance that she plays in Austin's life as well as her role as an antagonist. On a separate note, I am making the story interactive now. I know it's probably too early to do it, but whatever. I have 2 ways on where I can go from here. The first way is that Azula and Austin become rogue and run away from the law and live a life on-the-run. The second way is that Austin gets deployed back to Iraq and Azula goes there to, how, I do not know yet, but she meets with him there nonetheless. Let me know what you guys think either in a message or by leaving a review. Until next time **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, it's just that I have a lot on my plate right now. I'll try to update regularly but schoolwork is priority right now. Anyways, I would just like to thank those of you who reviewed the story; reviews are what inspire to continue writing so thank you. **

I quickly ran out of the church with Azula in tow as we made our way to our destination. I didn't know particularly where we were going, just that I knew we had to put as much distance between us and _them _as quickly as possible. "Wait right here, I'll be right back." I say to Azula. With a quick nod I take off, searching for a getaway vehicle. _I hate to steal, but in times like these it's the only option._ Thankfully no one spotted me as I made my way over to a parking lot. Finding a beat-up Volkswagen, I noticed that the door was unlocked. _Whoever owns this pile will thank me for jacking it. _Using my limited knowledge on hotwiring that my uncle showed me before I was deployed, I was able to get the vehicle running in a matter of seconds.

I pulled up next to Azula, and upon seeing her confusion, I rolled down the window and yelled for her to get in.

"What is this contraption that you are in and where did you get it?" She asks bewildered.

"It's called a car, and let's just say I… uh… borrowed it from a friend." That seemed to do the trick as she complied and got in. "You're gonna want to strap in and hang on tight," I said as I pointed to her seatbelt. After a few, and rather funny, unsuccessful attempts, she was able to buckle herself in. _Now let's ride._

I was thinking about where we were going and what we had to do when Azula brought me out of my muse. I turned to look at her when she repeated her question, "I said, where are we going?" She asks as she looks out her window.

I ponder about it for a few seconds and just decide to tell her the truth, _she'd find out sooner or later. _"Azula, look," I sigh as I prepare myself for what's about to happen. "We are going to a buddy of mine to find out where whatever that device thing was is located. Azula… wha- what if my mother is right? What if it is just better for you to go home?" I hesitantly turned to look at her and was met with a stare of ice that could easily kill a person if looks could kill.

"Stop. The. Car. NOW!" She spoke in a no-nonsense tone. Not wanting to turn this into some giant ordeal, I complied. Pulling off into an abandoned parking lot, I turned off the car and looked at her.

"Now I'm only going to say this once so pay attention." She said in a stern voice; I simply nodded in response. "Austin, I love you," _wow that's the second time today she's said that today, _"and I never want to leave your side. We are in this together no matter what. You are the best thing that ever happened to me and I don't know what I'd do if I lost you," _okay who are you and what did you do with Azula? _

"Alright, alright, you are completely right." Her face brightened greatly as I said this. "I love you too and I don't want to lose you either. But what are we going to do for money and food? In case you forgotten, I'm a rebel deserter who is wanted by the government – though they just don't know it yet – and you are, I hate to say it, a minor, which means you can't get a job." I didn't want to lose her, it's just that I didn't know how we were going to survive. It looked like Azula was thinking of something, then she quickly responded.

"Come back with me to my world."

"What?!" I shouted as I spit water out of my mouth from the bottle I had just been drinking out of. "You can't be serious?" I said in an astonished tone.

"Of course I am, please tell me you will." She said in a pleading manner. When I looked into her eyes, every bone in my body wanted to say yes, it's just that I couldn't.

"If it's possible – I'm not saying that I'm gonna go – but if it's possible, what about my family? I just can't leave them behind."

"Sure you can, it's just your stupid family. They just want to hold you back, use you for what your worth than throw you away-" she was getting an angry look in her eyes and I needed to put an end to her rant before she started destroying what was left of the vehicle.

"Azula, Azula, l know that you didn't have the greatest relationship in the world with your family, in fact far from it, but I truly love my family. I just can't walk away from them." I took her hands in mine to try to calm her down but it seemed to have the opposite effect.

"How can you say that?! Your mother hates you; she doesn't want you in her life!" She was reverting back to her old self again and the hatred was clearly evident in her eyes.

"Azula," I sighed, "is this about my mom or yours?" That seemed to do the trick as she burst into tears and collapsed into my arms.

"H-how c-could she just l-leave without saying g-goodbye?" She was sobbing loudly into my chest. I held her tight and ran my fingers through her hair as I whispered loving thoughts into her ear to try to calm her down.

"Shh… shh… everything is going to be alright, I promise." I calmly said in a soothing tone as I continued to massage her back and run my fingers though her hair. She stopped crying and looked up at me with red, puffy eyes.

"Y-you promise that everything is going to be better?" She asked in a soft yet sad tone.

"Yes I promise," I said as I wiped away a couple of stray tears and brushed her hair out of her face. "Look I don't have a complete and honest answer on your proposal yet, but I will tell you this. I will think long and hard on it and give you my thoughtful opinion in due time." She looked more hopeful and sat back upright in her chair.

"Okay, that sounds good to me." She paused for a second, "so where are we going to again?"

I just gave a small chuckle and slightly shook my head, "to the house of the craziest guy on the planet."

* * *

"Alright, now remember, just keep calm and let me do all the talking, okay?" I said as we stepped up to the front door.

"Keep calm and let you do all the talking, got it." She repeated as she clung close.

DING-DONG

I waited patiently at the front door for someone to open it as I nervously checked my watch. I was just about to give up and turn around when an elderly woman opened the door.

"What do you want?" The woman said in a harsh monotone voice. _Wow, sounds just like an older version of Mai._

"Yea, hi, I was wondering if Jeff is home." I replied meekly.

She stepped aside and motioned for us to come inside. "He's upstairs in his room." She said before she went to the foot of the staircase and yelled up, "JEFF YOU HAVE VISITORS! AND PICK UP YOUR DAMN SOCCER BALL!" She said as she kicked his soccer ball across the room.

Azula was getting more nervous and was somehow managing to cling even tighter to my arm as we made our way to the living room. "Just remembered what I said and everything will be fine." I said to reassure her. However, as soon as I said that, we both saw a silhouette of a person coming down the stairs with nun chucks hanging over his shoulders. When he finally stepped out of the light and was visible and could be recognized, he spoke.

"What the hell do you want?!" He asked in a firm and harsh manner. Azula paled at his statement and I got more nervous, but I held my ground.

"Jeff it's me Austin, remember? We were in computer science class together and we had chemistry." I said as tried to regain my composure. He thought about it for a second and then relaxed and brightened up.

"God dammit, why didn't you say so? Come here man; bring it in for a hug." He said as he reeled me in for a fairly tight and painful hug. He then turned to Azula, "who is this lovely young lady that you came here with?" He asked as he took her hand and gently kissed it. _Same old Jeff._

"She's uh… an acquaintance of mine." I said as I badly lied to cover up who she really was. He seemed to believe it as he motioned for us to sit down.

"Well good thing she's just an acquaintance of yours, that's jailbait you got there bro." I got beat red at what he said and thankfully Azula had no idea what he meant. "Anyways, what's happening man, how've you been? I haven't talked to you in forever. You guys hungry? HEY MAH, CAN WE GET SOME MEATLOAF! "

"Jeff, I think we're good, we had a bite to eat before we got here."

"You sure? Alright. So tell me, how's it going?"

"It's going pretty well for me. The Marines have been pretty kind to me so far." I somewhat lied. _He doesn't need to know that I am technically considered a deserter._

"Oh that's right," he deadpanned as he said it, "you're in the _Marines._"The way he said it made it sound like it was an evil and corrupt institution. Azula also picked up on his tone and promptly called him out on it.

"Why do you hate the Marines so much?" She asked with a hint of malice. "Austin tells me they teach values like courage, honor and discipline; why is that a bad thing?"

"It's not that I hate Marines per se – actually I respect them greatly – it's just that it was such a waste for Austin to go into them. It truly was a waste of your amazing ability." He said almost as if he was disgusted with me.

"Hey it's not that simple, man. I had no choice." I firmly stated as I stood up from the couch.

"I do not understand." Azula said, obviously confused.

"Austin here was set to go to MIT with me, the greatest college in the world to develop young and brilliant minds. We were set to go, he even signed his letter of consent, when over the summer he signed up for the Marines and was shipped off to basic training."

"Austin, is this true?" Azula asked. All I could do was solemnly nod my head. "Why would someone so brilliant chose to join the military instead of further advancing their knowledge?"

"Like I said, it's not that simple. I wanted to go, I really did, it's just that my mom used up all of my college money and still needed more. Ever since my dad left, I had the responsibility of looking after my little brother and sister. They needed the help and welfare certainly wasn't getting the results so I joined the Marines so I could send home money to support them." I was going down a path that I did not want to venture, but it was too late. Mixed emotions were coming back to me.

"Oh," Azula said in a sad surprise. "I did not know that, I am sorry." She said as she wrapped her arms around me. "Is this why you have so much animosity towards your mother?"

"I would imagine that's part of it." Jeff said as he took out a tablet and started entering data into it, reminding me of why I came here. "So tell me, why did you come here in the first place, not that I mind the company."

"I need your help," I sighed as I let go of Azula. "I need your expertise in hacking in to some top secret files."

"Well you came to the right guy," he said as he put down the tablet and a smile appeared upon his face. "Sure I'll help you out."

"Really, you'd do that for me?" I asked hopefully. His response was just a simple nod. "Ah man that's awesome! You know what, I think we will have some of that meatloaf!"

"I knew you'd come around! HEY MOM, THE MEATLOAF, WE WANT IT NOW!" Turning his attention back towards me, he spoke again, "so exactly what is it that you need me to hack in to?" He asked as he started to get excited. _Typical Jeff, getting excited at the thought of hacking into something like a kid in a candy store._

"Well there is this device that I was delivering during one of my tours, created by Stark Industries," I said so as to build up his suspense so he would be more willing to do the job.

"Yea, the _Transdimensional Vortex Inducer, _what about it?" He asked.

"Right that, so I-"the realization of what he said hit me mid thought. "Wait how do you know what I was transporting?" I asked skeptically.

"Who do you think designed the thing?" He said smugly.

"Jeff, you are a hacker for the US government, besides you don't even work for Stark Industries." I said pointedly.

"Okay so I had nothing to do with the creation of it," he said deflated. "I did, however, happen to run security detail for the government of said mission. Therefore, I know exactly what you were transporting and that not only did it get activated, but that you were transported to another world." And the smugness was back at full effect.

"Alright, well since you know exactly what I am dealing with," I said, "I was wondering if you could hack into the CIA's main database and locate where they are storing the Inducer device." That smug look quickly disappeared into a look of despair.

"You want me to hack into the CIA's main database, which is not only highly illegal, but is also my employer?" He asked in disbelief.

"Look if you can't do it that's fine." I said enticing him into a trap I knew he couldn't escape.

"Oh I can definitely do it; it's just that I want to know why you want me to risk me life." Well I guess he masterfully evaded that trap.

"Look, it's… it's just complicated. The more you are in the dark about this, the better it is for everyone." I said desperately, hoping he would just drop it.

"You owe me big time for this." He said as he started to work his magic. _I knew I could count on you, Jeff! _After a few minutes of typing in a bunch of codes and random numbers, I saw what looked like the schematics of the TDI and a map to where it was shown. His facial expression was quickly replaced with that of gravity and somber. He turned to me and hesitantly spoke, "I found out where it's located, but you're not gonna like me when you find out where."

I calmly and slowly tried to find out the answer, "it's okay Jeff, just tell me where it is. It's back in Iraq isn't it?"

He just shook his head and with a faltering voice spoke, "no it's worse, it's… it's… Austin, it's at Langley." As soon as he said that, I felt like the air was forcefully removed from my lungs. _How the Hell am I supposed to break into the CIA headquarters?!_

"On the bright side," he said gingerly, "I found out the schematics and how to operate it, here" he said handing me a paper that looked like a diagram with a bunch of numbers and instructions I couldn't really understand at the moment. "That will tell you how to activate it and where you want to go. I assume last time it just involved a bunch of random kicking and punching," my facial expression was all he needed to confirm his suspicions. "As long as you magically don't get arrested or shot for trespassing, it should be a breeze to get to where you want to go." He said as he shut off all of his equipment.

I just stared at the paper before stuffing it into the pocket on my pant leg. I was about to thank him and leave when a knocking on his door interrupted us. All three of us turned around and froze when we saw who we were looking at.

"Hello Austin, long time no see." The mysterious and feminine voice spoke.

"Ah did I forget to mention that Elle is coming over and is also working for the CIA as a bounty hunter." Jeff said as he shrunk in his seat.

"You want to tell me what the hell she is doing here!" I yelled at him.

"Well she is a professional bounty hunter; my guess is she tracked you down." He replied meekly.

"Wait, who is this girl?" Azula asked baffled.

"She's my crazy ex-girlfriend." I replied emotionlessly.

**A/N: And the plot thickens! That's right I decided to throw in another character. In case you didn't pick up on it, Langley is where the CIA's headquarters is located in Virginia. Also, instances of Jeff's character were an allusion to Wedding Crashers. If you could review that would be awesome. Until next time**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: And I am back with the latest installment. I would like to thank all of you who reviewed the story thus far. As is always, I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or any of its characters; however, I do own the original characters that I created. Now on with the show… err… story!**

* * *

"My, my, my, it certainly has been a while." Elle said as she snaked her way into the room.

"What do you want Elle?" I questioned solemnly. I was definitely not in the mood for what was about to go down.

"What? I'm not allowed to check up on my previous boyfriends? You know, you still owe me an explanation as to why you left me." She replied as she took a seat in a chair across from where I stood. An awkward silence filled the room as we continued to stare at one another. Finally, Azula spoke up and broke the uncomfortable quietness.

"So who exactly is this woman again, Austin?" Azula asked as she motioned at Elle with her thumb.

"Like many things, it's a complicated matter. But, to make a long story short, we used to date throughout high school, but I broke it off right before I went into the Marines. I assume that is when she decided to work for the CIA as I had no previous knowledge of the matter."

"Correct again; someone's on fire. Yes after you left, I too decided to work for the government. However, instead of working for the military like you did, I decided to go the CIA route and become a secret agent of sorts. After many – and interesting to say the least – twists of fate, I ended up becoming a professional bounty hunter. So tell me Austin" she said as she gestured towards Azula, "who's the pixie stick? Your sister? Shouldn't she be in school right now?" Elle nonchalantly made the off-hand remarks as if it were nothing. However, before I could do anything to defuse the situation, Azula shot up and exploded in Elle's face.

"I AM NOT HIS SISTER! In fact," Azula smirked, "I am his girlfriend, something that you failed to do." Azula had a smug look on her face and regained her usual demeanor as Elle did a double take.

"You? His girlfriend?" Elle gave off a fake laugh as she regained her composure. "You're like twelve; there is no way a pipsqueak like you could be his girlfriend?" She continued to laugh in a sarcastic manner. This, on the other hand, only seemed to make matters worse as Azula went right back to being up in Elle's face.

"I will have you know that I am not twelve," Azula sneered, "I am in fact fifteen years old; I had my birthday the other day." Azula then took a different yet familiar facial expression, resembling the one she usually had that told people she was looking down on them and thought they were the scum of the earth. "I don't need to justify myself to you, I am royalty and you are nothing but a filthy peasant." Azula spat back at her. I could have sworn that World War III was going to break out at any second.

"LISTEN HERE YOU ROYAL BITCH! I don't know this fantasy land that you come from, but in the real world, in this country, there are no fairy princesses and queens. So why don't you take your wild imagination and run off to make-believe-land while the adults sort everything out."

That seemed to do the trick as Azula delivered a swift kick to Elle's stomach that sent the bounty hunter flying into the adjacent wall. Azula looked ready to pounce on Elle's downed body like a hungry lioness and I knew I had to act quickly to defuse the situation. Promptly stepping in between them, I pushed them back far enough to dissolve the violence before it reached dangerous heights.

Elle looked at me in disbelief before she quickly spoke up, "she can't be serious Austin? There is no way that you two could be romantically involved in a relationship."

"Well…" I replied sheepishly, "you see-"

"Okay hold up," Elle cut in and took charge once again. "You mean to tell me that you and _her,_" she hissed as she harshly pointed at Azula, "are in a relationship? And you're boyfriend and girlfriend?" Elle looked bewildered and definitely looked like she couldn't believe anything that was going on.

"Yes Elle," I replied calmly, "that is exactly what I am telling you."

"Okay it's been a crazy day for everybody here." Elle said as she stood up again after a momentary rest. "With you mysteriously returning from God-knows-where and me having to work a stupid ten hour graveyard shift, I think we should all go home and get some rest. Why don't you tell your little friend goodbye and come on back to my place so I can make you a nice cup of tea and we can all relax." She took my arm and started to make her way out of the door when Azula immediately intervened.

"If you think you are about to walk right out of this house with Austin and to never return, then you have another thing coming to you. I've gone through enough trouble as it is without you, so why don't you calmly step aside and let me and Austin make our way out of here." Azula talked in a no-nonsense tone that issued a warning to those that dare defy what she says.

"So that's how it's gonna be." Elle said as she released her hold on me and defiantly glared down at Azula. "Sister, I was looking for a reason to fight and you just gave it to me." Without warning, Azula delivered an abrupt punch to Elle's face that caught both of us off-guard. Elle just simply shook her head and spat out some blood. "The first one was free, that one's gonna cost ya." And with that, Elle struck Azula back with just as much force.

For the first time since the whole ordeal started, Jeff decided to speak up. "Shouldn't you do something to stop them? Not that I don't like hot women fighting, it's just that I don't want them to tear up my house." He was hiding in his chair as best as he could.

"Gee thanks for helping out earlier to defuse the situation." I replied in the best sarcastic tone I could muster. With a heavy sigh, I decided that he was right and that I did indeed need to intervene before major damage was done to the property. Separating the women wasn't the hard part; it was doing so without getting injured that proved to be impossible. As I lifted them off of one another, I suffered a few blows from both sides to the ribs and back.

"Okay let's try to settle this like rational adults. Azula," I said as I gave her a stern yet concerned glare, "can you please not hit Elle every time she says something that makes you mad?"

She simply looked at the ground and muttered to herself, "I didn't hit her _every _time."

"Azula," I said softly as I lifted her face so that she was looking directly in my eyes, "please."

"Fine." She huffed as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Thank you." I said as I placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. I then turned to face Elle and spoke to her, "and you Elle, can you stop with the little kid remarks and enticing her with insults?"

For her part, Elle just looked at me then gave me a defeated sigh. "Yea I guess I can do that. I just don't get what you see in her."

"That's not important right now. What is important, however, is that we come to a sensible solution that doesn't result in someone getting thrown across the room into a wall. Now, does anyone have any ideas that we can all agree on peacefully?" I knew it was a longshot but maybe there was a way that didn't involve violence.

"Austin, you are aware that you will be considered a deserter of the United States Navy if you do not cooperate and come in with me? If you do not willingly come in with me, I will be forced to report you as a deserter and you will be subject to government prosecution. The only sensible solution is for you to tell your companion over there goodbye and come oblige to report back. What they will do with you I have not a clue, but what I do know is that you will get a much more favorable outcome if you submit yourself voluntarily." She spoke in such a way that made one think they would be the stupidest person alive not to accept the offer.

"That may seem nice and all, but you forgot one thing," Azula shot back, "Austin is not about to leave me, especially not with someone like you. Now," Azula going into her queen b voice, "why don't you run off and let us figure out what is best for us."

Elle took offence to her statement and quickly shot back. "You don't think I know what is best for Austin?! I know exactly what is best for Austin! Besides, if you two left together he would always be looking after you; you have no idea how to take care of him like I do."

"I don't know about that," Azula replied smugly, "I took real good care of him the other night." At that particular moment I thought for sure all hell was going to break lose.

"WHY YOU LITTLE SLUT! I swear to god-" Elle was never able to finish her rant as her motionless body fell to the floor. I looked up and saw Jeff standing over her body and holding a vase in his hands.

"Jeff! What the hell were you thinking?!" I screamed as I rushed over to Elle's body.

"Relax man, she's just knocked out, she'll be fine." Jeff replied in a surprisingly calm and collected tone. I was taken aback from his tone and hesitantly moved away from the prone body.

"Are you sure that she will be fine? There won't be any harmful injuries sustained?" I was already going to be breaking a number of laws that would completely destroy my life, the last thing I needed was to be involved in a murder of a federal agent.

"Nah dude she'll be fine, you should know, you are trained in this kind of stuff. The worse thing that will happen is that she will have a bad migraine. You can thank me later, right now you should get a move on, she'll regain consciousness in a few hours and I wouldn't want to be around when that happens." He started ushering us out of his room as I shot once last glance at my former girlfriend.

"Alright man, thanks, I owe you another one." I took Azula's hand as we made our way out of his house. He was holding Elle in his arms to more-than-likely drop her off at some government building so that way she couldn't destroy his life… well... at least not right away.

"Don't worry about it dude, I'm sure you'd do the same for me, unless you become a millionaire, then I expect compensation." I just laughed at his remark as I helped Azula get settled in the car. _Just like Jeff to make funny remarks during the most serious of conversations_. As I was about to get in the driver's seat, I cat one last glance at the house I had come to love over the past few hours. All I heard right before I took off was Jeff's mother yelling at him. "JEFF IS THAT ANOTHER DEAD HOOKER?! YOU CAN'T KEEP BRINGING THEM HERE OR THE COPS ARE GONNA BUST YOUR ASS!"

* * *

"So where are we again?" Azula asked as I opened the door to the room and motioned for her to step inside.

"This place is called a 'hotel.' Unfortunately the safe house that I originally planned for us to stay at was compromised by yours truly. Since we don't anywhere else to stay, we will have to make do here for the night." I sat down on the bed and began taking off my boots as she did the same.

"Oh okay. I guess this place isn't that bad." She said as she carefully folded her dress and put them neatly away. "What are we going to do after that?" She asked as she slid under the covers.

"Ah that's the million dollar question. Well getting in to Langley is going to be virtually impossible; luckily I have a guy that can help get us in with the added bonus of not getting shot at the entrance." I said as I too got underneath the covers.

"You have a guy for everything." She replied as she got closer to me.

"That I do, that I do." I laughed as I wrapped my arm around her and nuzzled my head into her neck and drifted off into a deep slumber.

* * *

I would like to take this time to go over the reviews. I know I haven't done this in the past, but I feel that it provides more interaction between myself and you guys.

**ChainzOfThePast- **"Well i love it and cant wait for your update and Azulas reaction!"

_Thanks and I am glad that you love the story thus far. I will do my best to update regularly._

**RJCA27- **"omg i just had heart attack when he said she was his exgirlfriend! Holy crap i need to know how azula is going to react!

only concern is that azula fell in love with austin really quick and in such a deep manner...quite unrealistic"

_Well I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter and my cliffhanger was effective. As to how Azula is acting, well yes, that was one of my concerns as well. I don't consider myself a great writer of romance but I am certainly doing my best to improve that. As to her acting out of character, well that is a difficult task that few, talented righters can pull off. Since there was zero romance for her character in the actual show, it's kind of hard for me to do an accurate representation of her character in the romance spectrum. With that said, I feel that her journey in these two stories put her on an emotional rollercoaster that would help alleviate this concealment of emotions if you will. However, I did try to make her more realistic in this chapter and will do my best for future chapters._

**Pir84lyf- **"so he leaves his family behind, runs to an old friend for help, and gets found out by his ex. well done, well, just well done. *slow clap*"

_I don't know what to say other than thank you. I really do try my best to make this an entertaining and captivating story that keeps you on your seat. It's nice to have fans that support you in something that is purely for the enjoyment of others (though I do enjoy writing this story)._

**A/N: Well that is that. As you can see I am including reviews at the end of stories now. I found that this technique employed by other writers to be a useful strategy in making the story more captivating and entertaining. Until next time**


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